Agriculture and Lands
BC Beef Industry Overview
Beef cattle are raised throughout British Columbia. The majority of BC producers run either a cow/calf or cow/yearling operation. There is also a small but important feedlot sector. Production practices vary throughout the province, depending on the local climate and other factors.
BC is a net importer of beef. BC produced beef accounts for less than 1/4 (~20%) of the beef consumed in BC. In part, this is because cattle are sent to Alberta feedlots to be finished before slaughter. The reason this is done is that Alberta has a readily available supply of feed grain. In total, about 45,000 head of cattle are slaughtered in BC each year.
Excerpt: BC Agriculture Farm Practices (PDF 153KB) and About the Industry
Livestock on BC Farms
| Livestock on BC Farms ('000 head) | Jan. 1, 2009 |
Jan. 1, 2010 |
Jan. 1, 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef Bulls, One Year And Older |
13.0 |
12.0 |
12.0 |
| Beef Cows |
212.0 |
197.0 |
192.0 |
| Beef Heifers – Breeding |
28.0 |
27.5 |
28.0 |
| Beef Heifers – Slaughter |
12.0 |
8.0 |
8.5 |
| Beef Steers, One Year And Over |
23.0 |
16.0 |
21.0 |
| Beef Calves |
163.9 |
154.0 |
153.0 |
| Total Beef |
457.9 |
414.5 |
414.5 |
Source: Statistics Canada Catalogue 23-012
PRICES RECEIVED BY BC PRODUCERS ($/cwt)
| Livestock ($/cwt): | 2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feeder Steers (501-600 lb) | 122.48 | 109.52 | 99.94 | 107.60 | 116.40 |
| Feeder Steers (601-700 lb) | 115.47 | 104.10 | 96.62 | 103.09 | 109.36 |
| Feeder Steers (701-800 lb) | 108.43 | 97.90 | 91.93 | 97.02 | 103.55 |
| Feeder Steers (801-900 lb) | 102.64 | 93.36 | 88.31 | 91.60 | 96.80 |
| Feeder Heifers (601-700 lb) | 105.39 | 92.84 | 85.69 | 92.13 | 100.32 |
| D1, 2 Cows | 31.17 | 35.80 | 42.38 | 44.29 | 53.49 |
| Bulls | 30.22 | 36.53 | 50.53 | 53.31 | 64.66 |
Source: Canfax Annual Reports
Related Areas:- Agri-food Statistical Information: BC Agriculture
- Fast Stats 2010 (PDF 1,121 KB): BC Agriculture
- Agri-Food Knowledge Platform: Your Link to Information on the internet:
